YouTube NFL Deal: Targeting TV Advertising with Creator Content

YouTube Courts TV Ad Spend with NFL Deal and Creator Tools

At its annual Brandcast Upfront event, YouTube unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at attracting a greater share of television advertising revenue. A key component of this strategy involves an expanded partnership with the National Football League (NFL).

Exclusive NFL Streaming

YouTube will be the exclusive streaming home for the NFL’s inaugural Friday night game of the 2025-2026 season. This game, hosted in São Paulo, Brazil, will be broadcast live to a global audience.

This represents the first instance of YouTube functioning as a live broadcaster for the NFL. Within the United States, access to this game will be available to subscribers of YouTube TV.

Data from YouTube indicates that users consumed over 350 million hours of NFL content on the platform last year. Furthermore, the NFL’s Super Bowl LIX Flag Football Game garnered over 6 million live views when streamed on YouTube.

New Features for Content Creators

YouTube is introducing a pilot program that will enable creators to structure their content into seasons and episodes, mirroring the format of traditional television shows.

This initiative was initially announced at the Made On YouTube event last September, with CEO Neal Mohan highlighting a 30% year-over-year increase in revenue generated by creators primarily reaching audiences on television screens.

The pilot program, launching this summer in the U.S., will involve hundreds of creators. They will be able to organize their existing content for a more immersive, big-screen viewing experience.

Creators such as Michelle Khare (Challenge Accepted) and Rhett & Link (Good Mythical Morning) are slated to utilize these new tools to transform their content into easily bingeable “seasons” and “episodes.”

Expanding Shoppable TV and AI Integration

Alongside these developments, YouTube is enhancing its “shoppable TV” capabilities. This includes the implementation of QR codes and send-to-phone functionality.

The platform will also leverage Gemini AI to improve ad relevance by matching advertisements with popular and pertinent content.

Advertiser Success Stories and Platform Growth

During Brandcast, YouTube showcased success stories from brands like Volvo, Inspire Brands (Dunkin’), Hilton, and State Farm, demonstrating the effectiveness of its advertising tools.

The company emphasized its position as the leading streaming platform in the U.S., surpassing Netflix, Disney, and Prime Video in total watch time as of March 2025. This leadership has been maintained for over two years.

YouTube also highlighted its growing presence in the podcasting space, now boasting over 1 billion monthly active podcast users.

• Key Takeaway: YouTube is actively positioning itself as a primary destination for television viewing, not just an online video platform.
• Strategic Focus: The company is investing in both content acquisition (NFL) and creator tools to enhance the user experience.

The initiatives presented at Brandcast underscore YouTube’s commitment to attracting television advertising dollars and solidifying its role in the evolving media landscape.